a^J S. No 59., Feb, 14. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



125 



tine Empire, and from their rapacious habits and 

 their inordinate love of carrion, nothing would be 

 more likely than that the Greeks should give them 

 the sobriquet of " vultures," in other words, gupes, 

 or gypes; or at all events some nickname of a 

 kindred origin. 



Others, again, entered Europe from Egypt; and 

 these last, on finding that their eastern nickname 

 had preceded them, would, not improbably, make 

 it their object to put the people of the West of 

 Europe " off the scent," by coining a euphemism of 

 their own, and alleging that this name of theirs 

 bore reference to their Egyptian origin ; an origin 

 to wliicli, it is now generally conceded, they had 

 no pretensions. 



It would be worth inquiry whether there were 

 any derivatives from the word yv\\i, a vulture, used 

 by the people of the Greek Empire in the four- 

 teenth and fifteenth centuries, which would more 

 nearly admit of being metamorphosed into 

 " iEgyptiiis." 



Every Cambridge man is aware of the origin 

 of the word gyp; a name which has. long since 

 lost its original bad odour, and has become uni- 

 versally current. I should not be surprised to 

 find that this suggestion has been made already. 



Henry T. Riley. 



Gigantic Apricot Tree. — In the garden of John 

 Edwards Langton, Esq , of Maidenhead, Berks, is 

 a gigantic apricot tree, the dimensions of which, 

 as taken by myself, I send to you. I should 

 think it the largest tree of its sort in England, but 

 at any rate it is worthy of record in your valuable 

 and interesting journal. 



It is a standard tree ; and the trunk at one foot 

 from the ground measures 4 feet 11 inches in cir- 

 cumference; at five feet from the ground (where 

 the branches spring forth) the circumference is 

 4 feet 8 inches. It has four huge limbs, two of 

 which measure respectively 44 and 33. V inches 

 round. It had originally a fifth, which fell a victim 

 to a storm a few years since. The height is about 

 30 feet. The branches cover a space of 126 feet in 

 circumference. It has borne fourteen bushels of 

 fruit in a season ; and sixty people have dined 

 under its shade ! The fruit is large, of a deep 

 orange colour, and delicious in flavour. 



I feel certain that the owner will always have 

 great pleasure in allowing it to be seen. R. H. 



DEDICATIONS OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT CHURCHES. 



Can any of your readers help me in completing 

 the following list of the dedications of the Isle of 

 Wight churches? 



1. Arreton. • 



2. The new district church built in 1852 at 



- (Modern.) 

 All Saints. - 



Binstead. Holy Cross. (Rebailt) 

 Bonchurch. S. Boniface. 



The new church, also S. Boniface. 



Brading. S. Mary. (Query, our Ladv, or S. Mary 

 Mag. ?) 



Brixton. 



Brook. S. Mary. (Query, which S. Mary ?) 



Calbourne. 



Carisbrook. S. Mary. (Query, which S. Marj' ?) 

 Chale. S. Andrew. 



Cowes. • 



Freshwater. 

 Gatcombe. ■ 



Godshill. 



Kingston. ' 



Mottistone. 



Newchurch. 



Newport. S. Thomas. 



Newtown. The Holy Ghost. (Rebuilt.) 



Niton. S. John Baptist. 



Northwood. 



Ryde. S. Thomas. (Modern.) 



'„ Holy Trinit}'. (Modern.) 



„ S. James. (Modern.) 



„ S. John's ? near Ryde. (Modern.) 



S. Helen's. 



Bembridge new church. 



S. Lawrence. 

 S. Nicholas. 



Shalfleet. 



Shanklin. S. John Baptist. 



Shorwell. S. Paul. 



Sandown (new). Christchurch. 



Thorlc}'. 



Whippingham. — 



Whitwell. SS. Mary Virgin and Radegund. 



Wooton. 



Yarmouth. 



Yaverland. 



Ventnor (new). S. Catherine. 



Also whether there is any other new church 

 which I have not put down ; if so, to what Saint 

 Is it dedicated? R. J. Jones. 



LlandafF. 



Haven St. (new), in this parish. 



FAMILY OF LOCKE. 



The Qenilemari s Magazine (vol. Ixli. pt. ii. 

 p. 798.) contains a letter, giving an account of the 

 family of Locke. The letter is signed with thei 

 initials " H. F. Y.," and dated at East Brent, 

 Somersetshire, July 17, 1792 ; and the writer re- 

 fers to a pedigree which was before him. Can 

 any of your readers furnish any clue to the writer 

 of this letter, or to the sources of his information ? 



At the conclusion of his letter, the writer refers 

 any person requiring further information to Mr. 

 Locke, late mayor of Oxford ; Wadham Locke, 

 Esq., of Devizes, Wilts ; or Thomas Locke, Esq., 

 then Norroy King- at- Arms. 



It is remarkable that there is nothing in the 

 previous account to show that any of the three 

 gentlemen referred to were connected with the 

 family of the philosoplier. 



Thomas Lock, who was appointed Rouge* 



